Rock Hall Announces 2012 Nominees

Rock Hall Announces 2012 NomineesBeastie Boys, Guns N' Roses, Heart, Freddie King, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Donna Summer are among the nominated acts for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's class of 2012. Other nominees are the Cure, Donovan, Eric B. & Rakim, Joan Jett And The Blackhearts, Laura Nyro, Rufus with Chaka Khan, the Small Faces/the Faces, the Spinners, and War. Inductees will be announced in November and honored at a ceremony on April 14, 2012, in Cleveland. (9/27)

Report: Android Gains Popularity Over IPhoneAccording to a recent survey of U.S. smart phone users by Nielsen, 43 percent of all smart phone users own a device that runs on Google's Android platform, with 56 percent reporting they purchased an Android device over the last three months. Apple's iPhone came in second, making up 28 percent of the smart phone market, followed by Research In Motion's BlackBerry (18 percent). Devices operating on all other systems accounted for 11 percent of the U.S. market. (9/27)

Jessy Dixon DiesGRAMMY-nominated gospel singer/songwriter Jessy Dixon died Sept. 26 in Chicago. A cause of death was not provided. He was 73. With a career that spanned more than 50 years, Dixon wrote songs for several artists, including Cher, Randy Crawford, Natalie Cole, Amy Grant, and Diana Ross. Dixon also performed with several artists, including Earth, Wind & Fire and Paul Simon. His first GRAMMY nomination came in 1970 for Best Soul Gospel Performance for "Hello Sunshine." He went on to receive six additional nominations, his last in 1987 for Best Soul Gospel Performance, Male, for The Winning Side. One of his last releases, 2006's Touch Me, Lord Jesus, peaked at No. 9 on Billboard's Gospel Albums chart. (9/27)

Spotify Adds Radio Feature In U.S.Online music streaming service Spotify, which launched in the United States earlier this summer, has added a radio feature that was previously only available to European users. The feature includes 27 buttons that can be activated to create a customized playlist of songs from 24 genres and three decades, including the '60s, '70s and '80s. However, Spotify does not currently allow for personalized stations as do other Internet radio services such as Pandora. (9/27)

MTV O Music Awards 2 Nominees AnnouncedMTV announced nominations for the O Music Awards 2 with GRAMMY-nominated artists Justin Bieber and Katy Perry, and GRAMMY winners Lady Gaga and Sinéad O'Connor garnering two nods each, including Best Artist with a Cameraphone, Best Lyrics Video, Must Follow Artist on Twitter, and Best Vintage Viral Video, respectively. Additional artists garnering nominations include Demi Lovato, Joe Jonas, Marilyn Manson, Tyler, The Creator, and the Weeknd, among others. The O Music Awards will honor online creativity and winners will be determined by fan voting. The awards will be streamed online on Oct. 31. (9/27)

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U2 Earns Top North American Tour In 2009

U2 Earns Top North American Tour In 2009U2 ranked No. 1 on the list of top 50 North American tours in 2009 with gross revenue of $123 million and sales of more than 1.3 million tickets, according to Pollstar. Placing second was Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band with gross revenue of $94.5 million. Elton John/Billy Joel were third with $88 million, Britney Spears was fourth with $82.5 million, and AC/DC was fifth with $77.9 million. Rounding out the top 10 tours were Kenny Chesney, Jonas Brothers, Dave Matthews Band, Fleetwood Mac, and Metallica. (1/4)

Google To Launch New Phone With Spotify AppGoogle is expected to unveil Nexus One mobile phone on Jan. 5 and it may include an Android 2.1-based Spotify application, which would allow subscribers to access and sync their music catalog, according to a TechCrunch report. While the deal is pending, Google would pay label fees of $3 to $4 per user and Spotify would make additional revenue via advertising. The Spotify app could make the Google phone a legitimate music competitor to Apple's iPhone, but the app would only be available to European users until Spotify is officially launched in the United States. (1/4)

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The Music App Map, Part One

(The Recording Academy will host the Social Media Rock Stars Summit on Friday, Feb. 11 in Los Angeles, featuring a discussion regarding relevant issues concerning music and the mobile platform. Participants will include Adam Lambert and Chamillionaire, and social media pioneers representing Facebook, Foursquare and Pandora. As a complement to the event, we offer our exploration of today’s most noteworthy music apps. Be sure to download The Recording Academy's MusicMapper app, and create, map and share your personal musical journey. And tune in to our live stream of the Social Media Rock Stars Summit live on Feb. 11 starting at 2 p.m. GRAMMY Live.)

How popular are mobile apps? According to 2009 data released by Apple, maker of the iconic iPhone, more than 7 billion apps (free and paid) had been downloaded from the iTunes App Store since it launched in July 2008.

A recent Nielsen study found the average smart phone owner has 27 different apps on his/her device at any given time. While games, weather, maps/navigation/search, and social networking apps made up the most popular types of apps downloaded, music apps ranked fifth.

Smart phone apps have revitalized the music subscription business by finally providing a viable portable option other than the MP3 player, leading to the launch of such services as Rdio, MOG, Thumbplay, Spotify (in Europe), and the pending mobile music plans of Google, among others. Incumbent service Rhapsody credits its mobile app for a 10 percent increase in new monthly subscribers.

Mobile apps have also brought Internet radio to greater prominence by turning the smart phone into today's transistor radio. Pandora, the personalized Internet radio service, claims it activates 100,000 new users a day via its various mobile apps, which are additionally responsible for nearly half its daily streaming. CBS Radio streams not only all its radio stations through mobile apps on multiple platforms, but has also created a version of its Last.fm service for the iPhone and Google's Android.

Additionally, artists such as Lady Gaga, music organizations such as ASCAP and music festivals such as Bonnaroo have all jumped on the mobile app bandwagon, customizing apps for their own needs. The Recording Academy also unveiled its latest app, MusicMapper, to coincide with the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards marketing campaign. Last October Billboard magazine hosted the first-ever Billboard Music App Awards, honoring the most innovative mobile apps in six different categories.

Analysts project approximately 50 billion apps will be downloaded across all smart phone platforms by 2012, driving revenue of $17.5 billion worldwide. Here's a snapshot of the mobile music apps making waves today, setting the stage for tomorrow's innovation and growth.

Conceived and designed by Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess, MorphWiz takes advantage of the multitouch interface of the iPhone and iPad to turn either device into a quasi-3-D synthesizer. Notes are played based on where the user touches the screen according to a vertical grid design. It also adds a music visualizer that translates sound into graphics. For the less musically inclined, it comes with more than 50 presets to help you along. MorphWiz was an immediate hit, generating $40,000 in sales in its first month, and won Best Music Creation App at the Billboard Music App Awards.

Named in part after the ancient flute-like instrument and the famous video game "The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time," this was one of the first music apps in the iTunes App Store. Holding the device in two hands, screen up, users blow into the phone's mouthpiece and use their fingers to play different notes, changing pitch by tilting the device up or down. Advanced users can change key signatures and modes. A social aspect of the app lets users record and share their songs, and listen to those shared by others.

Musical novices and seasoned professionals alike will find something useful in ThumbJam. The app can recreate 40 different instrument sounds — from cello and violin to electric guitar and drums — all from the iPhone's touch-screen interface. It's "tilt and shake" feature adds vibrato, note bends and volume swells. Users can build their own background loops or import them from other instruments and files, as well as download new instrument sounds as they become available. Songs created can be saved to a computer or exported to either share online or further develop via professional recording equipment.

Come back to GRAMMY.com tomorrow for part two of our feature as we provide an overview of the apps making waves in the category of Professional Tools. Meanwhile, download The Recording Academy's MusicMapperapp, and create, map and share your personal musical journey.

Tune in to the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards live from Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 13 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. For updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy's social networks on Twitter and Facebook.

(Antony Bruno is the executive director of digital/mobile content & programming for Billboard magazine. He previously worked for the mobile industry trade publication RCR Wireless News, and served as assistant VP of wireless Internet development for CTIA — The Wireless Association.)

The Week In Music: Jon Bon Jovi Jabs Steve Jobs

Did Steve Jobs and Apple's iTunes give music a bad name? Yes, if you ask Jon Bon Jovi. "Steve Jobs is personally responsible for killing the music business," said Bon Jovi in an interview with UK's The Sunday Times. "Kids today have missed the whole experience of putting the headphones on, turning it up to 10, holding the jacket, closing their eyes and getting lost in an album," he reminisced. Bon Jovi thinks listeners will eventually share his nostalgic views and long for the time when they got lost in reading the liner notes for Slippery When Wet while spinning "Wanted Dead Or Alive." "I hate to sound like an old man now, but I am," he said. "And you mark my words, in a generation from now people are going to say: 'What happened?'" Jobs has yet to publicly respond to JBJ's allegations, but in the meantime you can purchase all the Bon Jovi songs your heart desires at the iTunes Store.

On March 10 Biebermania invaded the home of the Fab Four: Liverpool, England. In town for a Friday night concert, TWIM favorite Justin Bieberdrew a crowd of frenzied females outside his hotel, causing police to respond to try and control the Bieber bedlam, a scene harkening back to the Beatles' travels in the '60s. "This is crazy," Bieber tweeted. "There are like thousands of people out there. Love everybody but gonna try and get some sleep. Please dont scream. lol." We think it's safe to say Liverpool loves the Bieb, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Stamp collectors looking to add a little Latin music spice to their collections are in luck. The United States Postal Service issued a Latin Music Legend commemorative stamp this past Wednesday featuring Latin music giants Celia Cruz, Carlos Gardel, Carmen Miranda, Tito Puente, and Selena. The set is designed to represent the Latin music styles of Tejano, tango, samba, Latin jazz, and salsa, and is, of course, muy caliente.

What is it about snorting the ashes of dead loved ones? First Keith Richards claimed to have drawn of a bit of his dead dad's ashes through a straw. Now it turns out that Courtney Love may have wanted to use the same method to "be one" with her then recently deceased husband Kurt Cobain. In his new book Everyone Loves You When You're Dead, author Neil Strauss details an interview during which the Hole rocker exclaimed, "Say hi to Kurt," while reportedly pulling out the Nirvana star's powdery remains. She then offered Strauss the opportunity to snort a little Cobain with her, which he reportedly declined, killing Love's enthusiasm for the idea as well. Hmmm…where was his teen spirit?

To support the recent earthquake- and tsunami-stricken country of Japan, the Fame Monster Lady Gaga is putting her bad romance to good use with a specially designed We Pray For Japan prayer bracelet. Fans and supporters alike can show their support around their wrist by purchasing a bracelet for $5. All proceeds will go to support Japan tsunami relief. G-g-get yours today.

Is it a parody? A parody of a parody? A hit? All of the above? The latter seems to be the correct answer. Tween artist Rebecca Black's "Friday" has been viewed more than 13 million times on YouTube, and critics seem divided on whether it's a whip-smart take on 21st century pop, a parody of tween hits or an embarrassingly bad video viewed primarily for its train-wreck value. Much has been made of the seemingly banal lyrics ("Yesterday was Thursday, Thursday/Today it is Friday, Friday/We-we-we so excited/We gonna have a ball today/Tomorrow is Saturday/And Sunday comes afterwards"), which seem to recount the days of the week for the calendar-impaired. But Rolling Stone's Matthew Perpetua feels there may be some brilliant thinking behind all this. "There's something else going on here, something that makes 'Friday' uniquely compelling," he wrote at RollingStone.com. "When you see this video, you immediately notice everything that it does 'wrong,' but it actually gets a lot of things about pop music right, if just by accident…. If the video was intended to be a parody of teen pop convention, it would be on par with some of the best "SNL" Digital Shorts by Lonely Island. And thus [the video] forces its audience to reckon with a particular formula for pop music." What do you think? Is "Friday" a sly wink at the state of tween pop, or is it just tween pop taken to an "anyone can do this" aesthetic? Let us know below.

What have our favorite stars been up to this past week? Time for a look at the TWIM Twittertable. katyperry: Slept over 10 hours...I feel like a zombie..Time to get on that elliptical! Should I juice or CHEAT & have a STARBUCKS?! keshasuxx: SYDNEY WENT OFFFFFFFF hot damn. christophertin: Thnx? :) RT @kpeatt 'Baba Yetu' is like crack. genesimmons: Puerto Rico. Fans went nuts at the KISS show. Tomorrow, Houston Stadium with 75,000 fans. Writing songs with the band today. avrillavigne: I'm doing @jimmykimmellive tonight!.... Well not literally hahahha ... Singing "What The Hell"... So check it out!

Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" remains No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the "Glee" cast version of "Loser Like Me" is tops on the iTunes singles chart.

The Week In Music

Taylor Swift's songs suggest she has a big, open heart, and now her actions prove it. They also indicate a recognition of human suffering beyond her years. The 20-year-old GRAMMY Album Of The Year winner made a $500,000 donation to the Nashville flood relief efforts last Friday. The flooding has caused as much as $1 billion in damages, including damage to music landmarks and potentially millions of dollars in equipment and other losses for thousands of musicians. Nashville-born Ke$ha announced she will host a charity concert on June 16 with 100 percent of proceeds going to flood victims. VIP ticket packages will also be available, which will include a chance to meet Ke$ha and maybe even blow her speakers up.

Go ahead, stand so close to him. Sting, the former teacher who famously sang about the dangers of teacher/student liaisons, told reporters in Mexico City Saturday that teacher salaries must be raised to attract the best talent into the classroom. Sting, currently on the Learning For Life tour to help raise funds for education in developing countries, clearly wants teachers who can teach kids more than their de do do dos and de da da das.

According to a Huffington Post story, Courtney Love revealed on Fuse's "On The Record" why, according to her, she's so good in bed: "I'm better because I was never pretty. Pretty girls just lie there. Us girls who grew up a little more homely have to try a lot harder." Or as Jimmy Soul once sang: "If you want to be happy for the rest of your life/Never make a pretty woman your wife/So from my personal point of view/Get an ugly girl to marry you."

The Go-Go's are going bye-bye, as the female quintet announced summer concert dates for their Happily Ever After: The Farewell tour. In related news, lead singer Belinda Carlisle will release her tell-all autobiography, Lips Unsealed: A Memoir, on June 1. So much for that "Our Lips Are Sealed" philosophy.

I don't want to hold your hand? The only known recording of a 1966 Beatles press conference in Toronto will go up for auction in June. During the conference, the Fabs muse about an eventual breakup. "We're obviously not gonna go around holding hands forever," John Lennon says, to which Paul McCartney adds "...it would be a bit, you know, embarrassing at [age] 35..." The tape is expected to fetch $20,000.

In tech news, Google displaced Apple and the iPhone to claim the runner-up spot for the most popular provider of smartphone software in the United States. Smartphones featuring Google's Android operating system accounted for 28 percent of U.S. smartphone unit sales in the first quarter, according to NPD Group, behind top-ranked Research in Motion Ltd, maker of the BlackBerry, which had a 36 percent share of the market.

According to a PayScale.com study, music ranks fourth on the list of worst-paying college degrees. The starting annual salary is listed at $34,000, and mid-career salary at $52,000, unless of course you have that big hit. In fairness, music sits alongside some pretty noble company on the list including fine arts at No. 9, education at No. 7, elementary education at No. 2, and the evergreen of low-paid professions, social work at No. 1.

Eminem's "Not Afraid" is tops on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, becoming the 16th song to bow at No. 1 in the chart's 52-year history. Meanwhile, Katy Perry's new single "California Gurls," featuring Snoop Dogg, is currently No. 1 on the iTunes singles chart.

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